Previews

This Saturday, your #43 Ohio Roller Derby take on #28 Detroit Roller Derby in the final home bout of the season. This bout will not only continue the long-standing rivalry between the two squads, but also acts as a tribute to the rebirth of roller derby, as both Ohio and Detroit were two of the original 30 teams in the WFTDA.

For the first time since 2013, Ohio has slid out of Division 1 and will play at the WFTDA Division II Playoffs in Pittsburgh from August 18-20th. Looking for momentum headed into the DII Playoffs, Ohio will continue to rely on a deeper jammer rotation than in seasons past with Gorges Curves and Pain Train leading the charge. Skaters Zee “Loraine Acid” Gulertekin, Lora “Outa My” Wayman, Bigg Rigg, Val Holla, TactiGal, and BrussKnuckles continue to compete to become that third jammer in Ohio’s rotation, all of whom have found success donning the star at different times during the season.

Blockers Wayman, Amy Spears, Kelsey Khaos, Chainsaw, Slammerhead, Betty T. KayO, Rigg, and Acid will have their hands full with Detroit’s speedy and powerful jammers. Much like Ohio, Detroit has a lot of depth on the jammer line, but they do have a bit more experience from those skaters wearing the star. Feta Sleeze, Racer McChaseHer, and Sarah Hipel have multiple years of experience under their derby belts and have been a big reason why Detroit has been so successful over the past several years. Relief jammers Swift Justice, Cookie Rumble, and Meryl Slaughterburg are also capable of jamming for Detroit and gained valuable experience as the point-scorers for their team at last year’s Division 1 Playoffs.

Detroit has played five bouts this season to a record of 3-2. They spent a weekend in Columbia (SC) in April where they defeated Columbia, but lost to Jacksonville and Atlanta. More recently, Detroit bested both Ann Arbor and Charm City. Ohio has played nearly three times as many bouts and sports a 5-12 record. They most recently played Stockholm (Sweden) in a closed bout as Stockholm made a trip through the Midwest, falling to the visitors 266-72. The bout will mark the final time either squad will play until taking the track again at playoffs.

The bout will be held at the Ohio Building located within the Ohio Expo Center. Doors open at 4:00 p.m. with the Ohio/Detroit All Stars bout starting at 5:00 p.m. Ohio’s Gang Green will take on Detroit’s Motor City Disassembly Line following the conclusion of the first bout.